Maldonado had been very quick for Williams in Q2 and had just snatched provisional pole from Ferrari's Fernando Alonso and the Lotuses of Romain Grosjean and Kimi Raikkonen with 1m 22.285s when Hamilton redefined the parameters with 1m 21.707s.

A huge cheer went up around the circuit as home hero Alonso got provisional pole with 1m 22.302s. He, however finished third behind Hamilton and Maldonado.

Hamilton AP

Sergio Perez was sixth for Sauber with 1m 22.533s, while Mercedes' Nico Rosberg was the only other top-10 runner to post a time, with 1m 23.005s.